One way to impose order on a system with multiple users having random access requirements is to institute a controller that periodically polls the user population to determine their service requests. If the user population is large and the traffic is bursty, the time required to poll the population can be an excessive overhead burden.
One technique for rapidly polling a user population is called a binary tree search, as disclosed in Hayes, J. F., “Local Distribution in Computer Communiations”, IEEE Commun. Mag., March 1981, pp. 6-14. and Capetanakis, J., “Tree Algorithms for Packet Broadcast Channels,” IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory, vol. IT25, September 1979, pp. 505-515.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,845 shows an asymmetric network communication system for use in a client-server environment having independent forward and return channels operating at different speeds and/or under different protocols on the same or different communication media to provide efficient utilization of shared resources. A network manager, such as a hybrid access system, effects transmission of packetized data on a forward (downstream) channel from the host server to multiple client devices coupled with a shared downstream media at 10 or more megabits per second while simultaneously providing selectable multiple lower speeds of operation on shared or dedicated return (upstream) channels from the client devices to the host server depending on bandwidth availability, bandwidth demand, service level authorization, etc. for the return channel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for assigning of channel capacity and an improved access controller.